Online Singles choose Personality over Looks

Although conventional wisdom and Reality TV shows like Average Joe dictate that looks tend to win out over personality, a recent poll conducted by leading online dating site, Date.com, reached a different conclusion. Date.com asked its members: If you could judge a potential partner, what trait would rack up the most points?

Members were given the choice of 1- looks, 2- personality, 3- sense of humor, 4- honesty 5- intelligence and 6- wealth.

The number one choice for both male and female members was "personality" which tied at 35 percent

The numbers varied for the other traits. The second place choice for women was "looks" at 22 percent. "Honesty" placed a close third at 21 percent. Funny and smart guys won't find much to get excited about with this poll as "sense of humor" was key to 11 percent of women and "intelligence" only garnered 9 percent of the vote. And although money can buy a lot of things, "wealth" only scored with a paltry 3 percent of women polled.

"Looks" also scored second for men, with 23 percent of the vote followed by "honesty" with 19 percent. Twelve percent of men were seeking a "sense of humor" followed by "intelligence" at 9 percent. "Wealth" also scored last with 3%

"Date.com's results show that although looks are important, personality is still the key to a good relationship", said Brenda Ross, relationship advisor for Date.com.

"It's not an understatement to say personality goes a long way," she added, "and it far outweighs what many people believe would be the most desirable traits like wealth and intelligence."

This poll generated 1748 respondents.

Date.com, "the new way to date," was launched on Valentine's Day 1997. Date.com has more than two million male and female members worldwide who come to the site because it offers a convenient, safe and fun way for singles to meet. The site is adding new members at a rate of 200,000 per month and has hundreds of success stories. Date.com is headquartered in New York.